


Camisado

by SecretSaver, TheArchivist (SecretSaver)



Series: Camisado [1]
Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Twilight Series Rewrite, a basic attempt at making Twilight slightly more bearable, bella has vampire lineage theory, hint of bisexual Bella
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:35:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25872217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretSaver/pseuds/SecretSaver, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretSaver/pseuds/TheArchivist
Summary: The third person, hopefully edited to be less bad, rewrite of Twilight. I basically planned to expand on character interactions and I take the "Bella has vampire lineage" theory and throw it into the story, and I'm probably going to mess around with the whole conflict and climax of the story if I get that far. I started this back before Midnight Sun was published and used the leak of Midnight Sun to write in some Edward POV. Some of the writing is blatant copy/paste with some editing to make it 3rd person.
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Series: Camisado [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877440
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue

In military tactics, a camisado is a surprise attack occurring at night or at daybreak, when the enemy is supposed to be asleep. What if the enemy never sleeps? Are they still blindsighted to the attack?

A busted up, 1990s toyota sped it's way down highway 5 northbound with the greenscape rushing by in a giant blur. A sinister looking man with a wide grin was behind the wheel. The nighttime setting allowed him to reach such speeds, as people were very much asleep at three in the morning on a weekday. He eventually took a ramp down to a state highway, twisting and turning down the roads until he eventually disappeared into the seemingly overgrown scape of Washington. The car and the man engulfed by forest. 

  
  


Isabella Swan's mother hugged her tightly before they had to part ways as the daughter approached security at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix City. The seventeen-year-old was going to miss Arizona, and more importantly she was going to miss her mom. But her mom had Phil now, and with his job as a minor league baseball player, he was destined to spend life on the road and that's exactly the kind of adventure her mom was seeking. Bella wasn't going to stand in the way of that, and that's how she came to the conclusion to move to Forks, Washington, where her father Charlie lived. 

The hug lasted a while, but Bella never wanted it to end to begin with so it felt like a fraction of a second to her. Her mom looked sad.    
"Are you sure you want to do this, hon?"    
Bella nodded. "Yes, I want to do this." She lied, but she had said it enough times that it was beginning to sound like the truth.    
Her mother, not wholly convinced still, dropped her embrace to Bella's hands. "Well, even if you change your mind once you get there, don't be afraid to call me and I won't hesitate to send you right back."    
Bella was starting to get a little teary eyed, so she wanted to break the conversation before she actually went back on everything she had been planning for over a year now. "Ok, mom."    
"Let me know as soon as you touch down. Or at least email me when you get to Charlie's. Tell him I said hi."    
"I will, I will." She kissed her cheek.    
"Love you, Bells."    
"Love you too, mom."    
  


And Bella was off. She was familiar with the plane ride, having done so every year until she was fourteen. Eventually Bella put her foot down about spending a whole miserable-filled, boring month in Forks every summer. Instead she and Charlie spent two weeks in California. That is, until now. Now Bella will be spending the rest of her high school career in Forks. Bella mentally gagged. She watched the desert landscape slowly fade into a lush green one as she approached her destination. The flights weren't bad at all, but she was dreading the hour long car ride that she was about to have with Charlie. They both weren't the talkative type, but he always felt like he needed to at least attempt to fill the silence before eventually giving up.

Charlie came with the police cruiser, not surprising at all for him. Charlie is known as the respected Chief Swan in Forks. He gave Bella an awkward, one-armed hug when she stumbled her way off the plane. 

"It's good to see you, Bells," he said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied her. "You haven't changed much. How's Renée?" 

"Mom's fine, she says hi. It's good to see you, too, Dad." She wasn't allowed to call him Charlie to his face. 

Bella had to throw out most of her wardrobe after making the decision to move to Forks. Light and airy had to become waterproof and insulating. It was hard to find the appropriate clothes for the move, so her and Renée saved up a bit of cash for Bella to use on a miniature shopping spree after she settled into Forks. Regardless, her baggage was light and fit easily into the cruiser. 

"I found a good car for you, really cheap," Charlie announced while closing the trunk to the cruiser. 

Bella was surprised and waited to respond after they were strapped in. "What kind of car?" Her tone was suspicious, tipped off by his word choice of "a good car for you". 

"Well, it's a truck. A Chevy." 

"Where did you get it?"

"Billy Black. Do you remember him? He's in La Push, but he'd go fishing with us during the summer."

"Oh, no, I don't really remember him." Bella had a habit of blocking out painful, unnecessary things from her memory. Fishing, getting up at the crack of dawn, mosquitos...no thanks.

"He's in a wheelchair now," Charlie continued, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."

"What year is it?" Bella caught the subtle change in Charlie's expression when she asked that question. He was hoping that she'd be naive enough not to ask that.

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine— it's only a few years old, really,"

Bella wished Charlie wouldn't beat around the bush so much, but Charlie's methods of surprises were along the lines of "ask for forgiveness, not permission". "When did he buy it?" 

"1984, I think."

"Did he buy it new?"

"Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties— or late fifties at the earliest," he admitted sheepishly. 

"Ch— Dad, I don't really know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and I couldn't afford a mechanic…"

"Really, Bella, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore, and if anything goes wrong I'm sure Billy's son could help, he's great with cars."

_ The Thing _ , Bella thought.  _ It had possibilities as a nickname, at the very least.  _

"How much was it?" 

"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you, as a homecoming gift." Charlie peeked sideways at Bella with a hopeful expression.

"No way," Bella said surprised again. His gesture had been unpredictable as Bella wasn't used to being doted on. "That's really nice, Dad. Thank you." 

"Well, now, you're welcome," He mumbled, embarrassed by Bella's thanks.

Bella had discovered that cell phone signal was more or less nonexistent on the drive to Forks. Charlie noticed her pulling out her small Nokia and he commented on how she'll likely only get signal in the middle of town and at school, but likely not much at the house. 

They stared out the windshield for the rest of the ride. The landscape flew by in a flurry of green. Trees and their trunks were decorated with it. The ground was covered in ferns and other lush plants. Even the light that filtered down through the leaves was tinted in green. Bella felt like she was on some alien planet or sent way back in time. She almost expected a Tyrannosaurus to jump out at any minute. 

The hour long ride eventually came to an end. Charlie still lived in the same two bedroom house that he bought with Bella's mother in the early days of their marriage. Those were the only kind of days their marriage had— the early ones. The house was white and grey with a small porch and a porch swing. Parked in the small gravel driveway, was Bella's faded red truck. It had large, round fenders and a cab that jutted out. It was Bella's truck, and she loved it instantly. It may have been old, but she could see herself in it. Plus it was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged— the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscathed, surrounded by the pieces of foreign car it had destroyed. Charlie, no doubt, took comfort in a thought like that. 

"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!" Bella had unclipped her seatbelt immediately as they touched the driveway, hopping out to take a closer look. Now the horrific first day at school she was expecting tomorrow would be just that much less dreadful. She wouldn't be faced with the choice of either walking two miles in the rain to school or accepting a ride in the Chief's cruiser, which would draw more attention than she desired. 

"I'm glad you like it," Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again. He hopped out of the cruiser much slower than Bella did, but he had a fatherly smile on his face. 

Bella didn't waste any time taking her luggage into the house. Her room was the west bedroom that faced out over the front yard. The room hadn't changed much and belonged to her since she was born. The wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window — these were all a part of her childhood. The only changes Charlie had ever made were switching the crib for a bed and adding a desk as she grew. The desk now held a second hand computer, with the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. This was a stipulation from her mother, so that they could stay in touch easily. The rocking chair from her baby days was still in the corner. The itch to decorate the nearly vacant room was strong. Bella felt like she would need something bright to retreat to in this gloomy town. As she unpacked, she wondered if Charlie would let her paint one of the walls…

One of the best things about Charlie is he doesn't hover. He left Bella alone to unpack and get settled, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for her mother. It was nice for her to be alone, not to have to smile and look pleased; a relief to stare dejectedly out the window at the sheeting rain and let just a few tears escape. She already missed home so much. 

There was a knock on her door. She could tell Charlie had waited until he didn't hear any of her scuffling about in her room as to not interrupt her unpacking. He had a small cardboard box in his hand. 

"I, uh, dug this up for you. You'll have to unplug your internet when you want to use it, but I thought you might want a landline, too." 

In the box was a robin's egg blue push button phone. It looked like one of the things her mom may have left behind. It had a long spiral cable, allowing one to walk around the room without moving the base of the phone.

"Cool," she said, taking the box from him. "Thanks." Bella was surprised at Charlie's thoughtfulness, actually.

"No problem, kiddo." He retreated to the television downstairs once more. 

She set the phone down on her desk, but Bella didn't want to plug it in just yet because she wanted to check out the laptop that sat there first. She pulled up Google, and typed in the name of her new high school. Forks High School in bright blue and yellow font popped up as the webpage slowly loaded. Home of the Spartans, it read. The homepage didn't offer much in terms of helpful information. From what she could gather, there was about 360 students attending Forks, but back at Phoenix there was about 360 in her entire junior class  _ alone _ . So Bella was going to stick out like a sore thumb in this tiny, wet hell. She mentally whimpered. She quietly hoped that she would blend into the crowd tomorrow, with her pale skin and brown hair. In Phoenix, tans never stayed put for her, she would burn and it'd peel right off to expose a fresh layer of pasty skin. In three days, she could be old news. Bella was beginning to feel more hopeful, but the anxiety of a new school still persisted. She typed in her email, trying to take her mind off of the incoming doom that was school. Her mom had sent her an email. 

Bella, 

Write me as soon as you get in. Tell me how your flight was. Is it raining? I miss you already. I'm almost finished packing for Florida, but I can't find my pink blouse. Do you know where I put it? Phil says hi. I want to hear all about your first day of school tomorrow.

Mom. 

She inwardly gagged, of course she had to remind Bella of school. She clicked reply. 

Mom, 

Of course it's raining. Dad got me a truck! I'll have to send you a picture when it's not gloomy out. Dad also found a landline for me to hook up for phone calls. You still have the house number, right? Also, your blouse is at the dry cleaners, you were supposed to pick it up Friday. I miss you, too. I'll try and remind myself to email you after school tomorrow. I love you. 

Bella

Bella crawled downstairs after closing her laptop. Charlie had fixed himself a sandwich for dinner and was eating it silently in front of the glowing light of the TV. Bella chuckled to herself, he was too used to living alone and fending for himself. She opened the fridge. In it was some lunch meat and cheese, bread, hot dogs, a few beers, and various bottles of condiments. Bella nuked a hotdog and made note to grocery shop for the two of them. She wondered if dad ever brought back the fish he caught and then immediately shuddered at the thought of having to gut and skin a slimy fish. 

She curled up in bed after eating her dinner and attempted to read, but her mind was elsewhere, worrying about school. She gave up and tried to go to sleep, but sleep didn't come easily. The constant howling of the rain and wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background. She pulled the faded, old quilt over her head, and later added the pillow, too. But she couldn't fall asleep until after midnight, when the rain finally settled into a quieter drizzle. 

A thick coat of fog was on display outside her window in the morning. She felt claustrophobic, Bella couldn't see the sky and it felt like she had been shoved into a cage. 

Too nervous to really eat breakfast, Bella sat down with Charlie anyway and munched on half a piece of toast. Charlie gave her directions to the school and wished her luck on her first day, which was hilarious because Lady Luck tended to avoid Bella altogether. He left first, no doubt to spend a boring day at the police station. She sat alone in the kitchen at the square oak table with its three mismatching chairs. The kitchen had dark paneled walls and painted yellow cabinets, a job most likely done by her mother in an attempt to bring a little light into the house. There was a small fireplace in the living room, with rows and rows of family photos decorating the ledge and walls. It was somewhat embarrassing looking at them, as it seems that Charlie had never really gotten over Renée. The claustrophobia sunk in a little more. Bella couldn't stay in the house any longer, so she threw on her raincoat and walked out into the rain like an alien in a biohazard suit. 

Bella locked up, quickly walked over to her truck, and hopped in. Already delighted to be out of the drizzling rain, she ran her hands over the bumpy steering wheel and started up the engine. It roared to life with ease. Bella couldn't suppress a wild smile as she inhaled the scent of gasoline, tobacco, and mint. The truck was loud, but at least it worked and so did the radio.


	2. The First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella's first day of school at Forks is one she'll never forget.  
> This chapter is so long I'm so sorry.

It was not obvious that Forks High was a school; only the sign, which declared it to be a school, made Bella stop. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-colored bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs she couldn't see its size at first. Where was the feel of the institution? Bella wondered nostalgically. Where were the chain-link fences, the metal detectors?

Bella parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading front office. No one else was parked there, so she was sure it was off limits, but Bella decided she would get directions inside instead of circling around in the rain like an idiot. Unwillingly, she stepped out of the toasty truck cab and walked down a little stone path lined with dark hedges. She took a deep breath before opening the door. Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than Bella expected. 

The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots, as if there wasn't enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front. There were three desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a large, red-haired woman wearing glasses. She was wearing a purple t-shirt, which immediately made Bella feel overdressed.

The red-haired woman looked up. "Can I help you?" 

"I'm Isabella Swan," She informed her, and saw the immediate awareness light her eyes. Bella was expected, a topic of gossip no doubt. Daughter of the Chief's flighty ex-wife, come home at last.

"Of course," she said. She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedule right here, and a map of the school." She brought several sheets to the counter to show her. She went through her classes for Bella, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave her a slip to have each teacher sign for Bella to bring back at the end of the day. 

She smiled at Bella and hoped, like Charlie, that she would like it here in Forks. Bella smiled back as convincingly as she could. When Bella walked back out to her truck, other students were starting to arrive. She drove around the school, following the line of traffic. Bella was glad to see that most of the cars were older like hers, nothing flashy. At home she'd lived in one of the few lower-income neighborhoods that were included in the Paradise Valley District. It was a common thing to see a new Mercedes or Porsche in the student lot. The nicest car here was a shiny Volvo, and it stood out. Still, she cut the engine as soon as she was in a spot, so that the thunderous volume wouldn't draw attention to her. Little did Bella know her truck did indeed spark some interest. Not only did everyone know everyone in Forks, but a new car doesn't go unnoticed in the parking lot of the high school. 

She looked at the map in the truck, trying to memorize it; hoping she wouldn't have to walk around with it stuck in front of her nose all day. She stuffed everything in her bag, slung the strap over her shoulder, and sucked in a huge breath. 

_I can do this_ , she lied to herself feebly. _No one is going to bite me_. She finally exhaled and stepped out of the truck. Bella kept her face pulled back into her hood as she walked to the now crowded sidewalk. 

Once she got around the cafeteria, building three was easy to spot. A large black "3" was painted on a white square on the east corner. Bella felt her breathing gradually creeping toward hyperventilation as she approached the door. She tried holding her breath as she followed two raincoats through the door. The classroom was small. The people in front of her stopped just inside the door to hang up their coats on a long row of hooks. She copied them. They were two girls, one a porcelain-colored blonde, the other also pale, with light brown hair. 

_At least my skin won't stand out here_ , Bella thought to herself. She took the slip up to the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk had a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Mason. He gave her a look of realization as he accepted the slip of paper. He signed it quickly and sent Bella to an empty desk at the back without introducing her to the class, which Bella was thankful. 

It was harder for her new classmates to stare at her in the back, but somehow, they managed. Classroom chatter seemed to be pretty loud this morning, not that Bella had anything to compare it to. Mr. Mason had to quiet them down before he started the class. Bella kept her eyes down on the reading list the teacher had given her. It was fairly basic: Bronte, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner. She'd already read everything. That was comforting… and boring. She quietly wondered if her mother would send her the folder of old essays she had written last year, or if she would think that was cheating. Bella went through different arguments with her mom in her head while the teacher droned on. When the bell rang— a nasal buzzing sound— a gangly boy with skin problems and hair black as an oil slick leaned across the aisle to talk to her. He had been buzzing with excitement to introduce himself while waiting for class to end.

"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?" He looked like the overly helpful, chess club, student council type. 

"Bella," she corrected. Everyone within a three-seat radius turned to look at her. 

"Where's your next class?" He asked. 

Bella had to check her bag for her schedule. "Um, Government with Jefferson in building six." There was nowhere for her to look without meeting curious eyes. 

"I'm heading toward building four, I could show you the way…" This boy was definitely overdoing it. "I'm Eric Yorkie," he added, almost forgetting to introduce himself. 

Bella smiled tentatively. "Thanks." It seemed that the last minute map studying that Bella had conducted in her car would go to waste. 

They grabbed their jackets and headed out into the rain, which had picked up. Bella could have sworn several people behind them were walking close enough to eavesdrop, but maybe she was paranoid. They could have just wanted to go to class before the bell rang. 

"So, this is a lot different than Phoenix, huh?" Eric asked. 

"Very." 

"It doesn't rain much there, does it?" 

"Three or four times a year," Bella shrugged. 

"Wow, what must that be like?" He wondered. 

"Sunny," she told him. "Dry enough that it creates a lot of static electricity." _Dry like how this conversation is going_ , Bella added mentally. She hoped that every conversation she was going to have today wasn't going to be this bad. 

"You don't look very tan," he commented lightly. 

"My mother is hypomelanistic." 

Eric studied Bella's face apprehensively, and she sighed. 

_It looks like clouds and a sense of humor don't mix_ , she thought. _A few months of this and I'd forget how to use sarcasm_. 

They walked back around the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym. Eric walked Bella right to the door even though it was marked clearly on the building's side. 

The rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion as Bella's first class. Her Trigonometry teacher, Mr. Varner, who she would have hated anyway just because of the subject he taught, was the only one who made her stand in front of the class and introduce herself. Bella stammered, blushed, and tripped over her own boots on the way to her seat. 

After the two classes, she started to recognize several of the faces in each class. Statistically, she was going to run into repeats with about 90 kids per grade, they had maybe 12 or 13 students per class. Of course, there was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask Bella questions about how she was liking Forks. She tried to be diplomatic, but mostly Bella just lied a lot and forgot names almost instantly. 

One girl sat next to her in both Trig and Spanish, and she walked with Bella to the cafeteria for lunch. Jessica was tiny, several inches shorter than Bella's five feet four inches, but her wildly curly dark hair made up a lot of the difference between their heights. Bella couldn't remember her name, so she smiled and nodded as she prattled about teachers and classes. Bella kept an ear out for any tips about the meaner teachers, but most of the things she talked about were drama related.

They sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to Bella. She tried to focus on their names and faces, but soon after lunch Bella would have forgotten them. They seemed impressed by her bravery in speaking to Bella. The boy from English, Eric, waved at her from across the room. 

After introductions were over, Jessica regained the spotlight of the conversation and babbled on with her friends. Bella poked idly at her food until something caught her eye. 

The Cullens looked like models. At first, most thought they were teachers, but they looked too young, dressed nicely but too youthful. They sat down at the corner of the cafeteria, far from most of the other tables in the room. There were five of them. They didn't talk and they weren't eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. They paid no one any attention, so it was safe to stare at them without fear of meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. But it was none of these things that caught, and held, Bella's attention.

Of the three boys, one was big — muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college. 

The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back. The short girl was pixie-like, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction.

They were all so unique, and yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. They all had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. They also had dark shadows under those eyes — purplish, bruise-like shadows. As if they were all suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose. Though their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, angular. 

She analyzed them more closely. The blond boy looked like he was in pain, or maybe constipated, the pixie girl next to him looked to be fretting over him a little, or maybe guarding him from something. The blond amazon-looking woman and the wrestling jock beside her looked lost in thought and appeared more or less normal. And the bronze-haired boy looked bored and irritated. 

They were all looking away — away from each other, away from the other students, away from anything in particular as far as Bella could tell. As she watched, the small girl rose with her tray — unopened soda, unbitten apple — and walked away with a quick, graceful lope that belonged on a runway. Bella watched, amazed at her lithe dancer's step, till she dumped her tray and glided through the back door, faster than she would have thought possible. Bella's eyes darted back to the others, who sat unchanging.

"Who are they?" Bella asked Jessica. The two now watching the table of models talk casually to each other. 

Jessica looked up to see who Bella was talking about, though the look on her face told Bella that she already knew. Before Jessica could speak, the bronze haired boy looked directly at her. Jessica turned to Bella, trying to avoid staring. His eyes flitted from Jessica to Bella before looking away quickly, faster than either of them could do the same. Bella flushed in embarrassment, dropping her eyes at once. In that brief moment of eye contact, his face held nothing of interest. It was as if she had called his name and he'd looked up in an involuntary response. 

Bella's neighbor giggled, a wave of embarrassment also washing over her. "Those are the Cullens," her voice was laced in that juicy drama-filled tone. "The big guy is Emmett Cullen, who's sitting next to the blond, Rosalie Hale. The one who looks like he's in pain is Jasper Hale. Next to him, is Alice Cullen. It's a complex web really, Emmett and Rosalie are dating, Rosalie and Jasper are twins, Alice and Jasper are dating, and then there's Edward Cullen. They all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." She said this under her breath. _Of course she's already fawning over the Cullens_ , Jessica thought. 

But Jessica Stanley wasn't alone in her thoughts. The bronze haired boy, Edward, was a mind reader in the literal sense of the word. He had recognized his family's name being thought by Jessica before she answered Bella's question. 

Edward picked apart a bagel and stared at his tray across the room from Bella's table. "Jessica Stanley is giving the new Swan girl all the dirty laundry on the Cullen clan," He murmured to his family. Alice had walked back into the cafeteria after visiting the bathroom. She sat back down with her family, looking at Edward curiously.

Emmett chuckled. "I hope she's making it good." 

"Rather unimaginative, actually. But Jessica deems it worthy of a few points in the scandalous category." 

"And the new girl? Is she disappointed in the gossip as well?" Rosalie asked. 

Edward listened, searching for Bella's thoughts on Jessica's story but he heard nothing. The only thing he could find was Jessica's obnoxious thoughts about Mike Newton, and Mike's thoughts about Bella. Edward frowned. 

Alice took notice. "What's up?" Jasper looked at him, curious about Edward's new frustration. 

"I can't hear her thoughts," he said. "It's like she's blocking me out somehow." He looked up to check if Bella was still sitting there across the cafeteria, his eyes locking with the wide brown eyes, yet he couldn't hear a whisper. 

Jessica was still filling Bella in about the family. "They're all adopted. Jasper and Rosalie are related to Mrs. Cullen— their aunt, I think."

"That's nice of the Cullens to take them in," Bella remarked. 

Jessica had never thought of it like that, of course, she was far from an empathetic person. "I guess so," she said, her jealousy exposing how she felt.

Bella noticed Edward looking at her again, this time with more curiosity than boredom. He met her gaze, and Bella immediately flushed and looked away swiftly. 

His brow furrowed. Edward felt a wave of unease wash over him. Without his ability to read minds, his family's closely guarded secret was at risk of being exposed. Surely one human girl couldn't pose a threat to them, could she? In his push to listen harder, dozens of loud thoughts entered his head at once. Voices of Eric, Mike, Jessica, Lauren Mallory, Ashley Dowling, June Richardson, and Angela Weber swirled around his head, giving him a headache-like reaction. Edward winced aloud, but still soft enough not to draw attention and shook his head. 

And then he heard her voice. Her voice was soft and shy. He barely heard her, but her voice was there. He heard her compliment the fact that the Cullens had adopted all of them. _A seemingly kind heart_ , Edward noted mentally. He listened with his ability again, now knowing what Bella's voice sounded like out loud, he hypothesized that her conscience sounded similar to that. He didn't have any luck, however. This new girl's mind was dead silent. 

He heard Jessica's thoughts again. _Nice? The Cullens? Nice? Dream on, idiot, you'll never get close to them_. 

Her sour thoughts made Edward scowl. He almost wanted to spite her by walking up and introducing Bella to him, and offering to let her sit with his family, or show her around town, but he calmed himself. Normally, conceited thoughts like these didn't get as much of reaction from Edward like this instance did, but perhaps it was because of this new girl, Bella. 

"Shall we?" Rosalie murmured, interrupting Edward's concentration on the girl. 

"Anything on the new girl," Emmett asked, still waiting for a better response to his previous question. 

"No," Edward frowned. "She thinks we're nice, or at least that Carlisle and Esme are." 

"Well, she's not wrong." Emmett shrugged. "Can you hear her now?"

"Not her thoughts." Edward struggled to admit. 

"No biggie," Alice piped up. "We still have my vision." She put a finger to her temple. 

"Anything on her?" Rosalie asked, more out of protection and caution. 

Alice shook her head. Her powers were decision based, and the new girl hadn't decided to do any action aside from survive her first day, plus she was more focused on Jasper, who was struggling today. 

The Cullens picked up their trays and got up from the table, walking out of the cafeteria together before heading off to their individual classes. Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper were seniors and headed off to their senior level classes. Edward headed to Biology, a junior level course. 

Bella had discovered that Angela was in her next class, and followed her cue as to not be late to it. Angela was kind, and reminded Bella of her name considerately. She didn't ask questions to fill the silence, which Bella appreciated. The rain had turned to a cold snow that didn't seem that it was going to let up anytime soon. Sidewalks were beginning to ice over, so Bella had to concentrate extra hard while trying to be speedy enough to beat the freeze. 

They arrived at Biology, Angela nodded to her before settling down next to her lab partner near the black-topped table at the front of the room. Bella walked over to the teacher's desk to introduce herself and have the slip signed. The teacher's name was Mr. Banner, which made Bella smirk, thinking of Bruce Banner and his green friend, which the teacher looked nothing like. 

"Ah Isabella," he started. Bella immediately corrected him, telling him that she preferred "just Bella". He scribbled down a note next to her name on the roll sheet. "Well, Bella, we've been expecting you. We now have an even number of students, so you'll be paired with Edward." He pointed over to the student with his whole hand. 

Bella followed the teacher's hand with her eyes, meeting Edward's stare, which was all but welcoming. He sat bunched up, shoulders tense and arms folded in toward his chest, slouched over. He looked hostile, frowning with his eyebrows tugging downward. Bella looked away from his stare and at her feet as she concentrated on walking over to her seat. Her face grew red again, she peeked at him as she sat down, almost immediately regretting it. Edward's gaze had followed her, but she had noticed another emotion in his eyes as she grew closer to him— it was panic. 

Bella then noticed how unnaturally black his eyes were, but decided to avoid meeting her neighbor's gaze again. She did notice that his posture changed as she sat down. He suddenly leaned away and sat on the extreme edge of his chair and stared out the window to his left. It was as if Bella had smelled bad and he wanted to get as far away as possible without leaving his seat. 

When Bella had first walked into the room, Edward knew that she'd have to sit with him. He was originally paired with Mike Newton and his neighbor during lab activities, but with Isabella's expected arrival, Mr. Banner had separated the group, forcing them to draw straws on it. Edward drew the short stick. At first, he was hoping that with her closer proximity to him, he may be able to read her mind this time or at least to indulge himself in her secrets, but as she approached the desk... he smelled her. 

She was irresistible to him. Edward's mouth watered and his muscles tensed up. A burning sensation coated his throat as he tried to compose himself, it felt a thousand times worse than acid reflux. Her scent hit him like a train, and all of Edward's years of practicing, pretending to be normal nearly flew out the window. He wanted to lunge at the girl, his thoughts swirling. 

_No._ Edwards conscience sternly spoke from the hundreds of voices telling him to act on impulse. His hand gripped the underside of the table as he tried to tie himself down to the chair with his arm. The wood crumbled in his hand, which he then crushed the evidence into fine dust. He dropped the now sawdust and scattered it with his foot. Edward stopped breathing. He wondered if Alice was seeing the possible futures that were ultimately relying on Edward's actions. _No_ , Edward thought. _She's too focused on Jasper today, I'll bet. Otherwise she'd be here to interrupt me_. 

Bella didn't look up again at her neighbor and allowed her curtain of dark, wavy hair to fall past her shoulder. It shielded her from Edward and her temptation to look at him again. Instead, she decided to doodle in her notebook before Mr. Banner began his lesson. Cellular anatomy was the topic of the lecture today, something Bella had already covered in her AP course in Phoenix City, but she still took notes, occasionally doodling when Mr. Banner went over something Bella had already ingrained in her memory. 

During the whole lecture, Edward never relaxed his stiff position on the edge of his chair. He was bouncing his leg, left hand clenching a fist on top of it. His tendons and slight musculature bulged, not looking as lanky as he did sitting next to his burly brother. 

Class seemed to drag on, likely because of the material, and partially because of the tension Edward was emitting. Bella wondered if this was normal behavior for Edward. Eventually temptation overcame her and she peeked up at Edward once more near the end of class. He was glaring down at her, his black eyes filled with revulsion. _If looks could kill_ , Bella thought as she shrank back into her chair. 

The bell rang loudly, making Bella jump. Edward Cullen was then out of his seat, fluidly rising and dashing out of the classroom, leaving Bella to stare blankly after him. _Was he upset because I was going to be his lab partner?_ Bella asked herself, perplexed by his strange attitude. 

Edward had to find someone, anyone from his family. He listened for their thoughts, to see who was closest. It was Emmett. 

"Woah, you look like you just got done wrestling ten bears," Emmett commented after Edward walked up to him. 

"I need to get out of here," Edward said quickly.  
Emmetts face fell, going from his typical lighthearted expression to serious and solemn. "What happened?"

"I almost…the new girl…." Edward was panting. "Have you ever met someone who smelled so intoxicatingly _good_?" 

Emmett's thoughts immediately flicked to an older woman who lived near the edge of some woods. She was out getting the dried laundry folded to bring back in before it rained. He was remembering her scent and how it sang out to him, how his venom—

"Stop it," Edward hissed. 

"Right, sorry." Emmett snapped out of it, now just thinking about his brother, and the concern for his health. "Do you think...you can wait in the car until school is over, or do you want me to come with you?" 

"I think...I think waiting in the car is a good idea." 

Bella hadn't even grabbed her things before a boy she recognized from lunch walked up to her table after Biology. 

"Aren't you Isabella Swan?" He asked, snapping Bella out of her concern about what just transpired between her and Edward. 

She looked up and was greeted with a cute, baby-faced boy with pale blond hair that was carefully gelled into spikes. He was grinning at her. 

"Bella," she corrected him, returning the smile. 

"I'm Mike Newton." Mike had on a letterman, from what Bella could tell, he was likely in football. He looked the build, even with a babyface. 

"It's nice to meet you, Mike." 

"Do you need help finding your next class?" 

"I'm headed to gym, actually. It's a bit hard to miss, so I think I can find it."

He chuckled. "That's my next class, too!" He seemed thrilled, though honestly it wasn't a huge coincidence being that the school was small. 

Mike and Bella walked to class together. She learned that he lived in California until he was ten, so he empathized with Bella's love for the sun. He kindly informed her that he was also in her English class, and suggested that they should study together sometime, or peer review each other's papers in the future. 

"I'm dying to know," Mike said, pausing a little for the dramatic effect. "What did you say to Edward Cullen to make him look like...well, you know." He waved his hand. 

Bella's face lowered, but then she smirked thinking of an excellent response. "I'm just that talented," she said. "Send them running without saying a word." So, she wasn't the only one to notice, which likely meant that it wasn't normal behavior for Edward, and that it was even more likely that she was the root of his strange mood. 

"No shit," Mike laughed. "Not a word?"

Bella shrugged. "So that's not normal for him?"

"He's a weird guy," Mike lingered by Bella instead of heading off to the dressing room. "Emmett and Alice occasionally talk to people, but the whole family gives me the heebie-jeebies. If I were lucky enough to have sat by you, I would have talked to you." 

_Ah, there it is_ , thought Bella. Mike was flirting already. She wondered if it was just his jock-nature to try and land any moderately attractive girl he saw or if he was actually interested in her. Bella was used to the selfish ways of high school boys, and she didn't fall for any of it. Still, she politely smiled at him before excusing herself to talk to the Gym teacher. 

Coach Clapp was a bulky man with a little extra on him, mostly from age and not adjusting his diet as his metabolism changed. He found Bella a uniform, but informed her that she didn't have to dress down for today's class, and that P.E. was mandatory all four years of high school. Bella groaned to herself, she really was in purgatory. 

She watched as four volleyball games went on simultaneously on the gym floor, and reflected on how many injuries she had sustained and inflicted in her freshman year gym class back in phoenix. Her stomach turned. 

Edward hid in the safety of his car. He was blasting a CD that usually calmed him, but was failing to do so now. He was watching the snowflakes slowly fall and cover the windshield. All he could think about was the way Bella smelled, and how close he was to just ending her life right there in front of so many witnesses. If he had snapped then, Edward didn't think he would have been able to stop, at least not for a while. 14 people gone in an instant. He had to do something about this. He wasn't going to disappoint his father or his family. 

Cutting the car's radio/CD player off, he jerked the keys out of the ignition and walked toward the front office. The snow had just begun to stop, only a few flakes floated down. 

The office was empty, except for the one secretary, who was finishing up. She was hoping that she'd be able to get done early and go home like her office mates had. She didn't notice Edward's silent entrance. 

"Mrs. Cope?" Edward spoke softly. 

She turned her head, her unnaturally red hair curls followed the motion of her action. Her eyes widened. The Cullens' appearance always caught them off guard. 

"Oh," she said, smoothing her clothing. "Hello, Edward. What can I do for you?"

Edward leaned forward, meeting her gaze, and tried to be charming. He could feel her infatuation radiating off of her, even without reading her mind. _This should be simple_ , he thought to himself. "I was wondering if you could help me with my schedule." 

"Of course, Edward. How can I help?" Her heart fluttered. 

"I was wondering if I could move my biology class to a senior level science. Physics, perhaps?" He asked sweetly. 

"That's something you'd have to meet with the junior level advisor with, Edward. Why do you want to move? Is there a problem with Mr. Banner?" 

"Not at all, it's just that I've already studied this material…" 

"Ah, right you were in a private school in Alaska." Her thin lips pursed in thought. _They should all be in college. I've heard the teachers complain. Perfect 4.0s, never a hesitation with a response...Mr. Varner would rather believe that anyone was cheating than think a student was smarter than him...I'll bet their mother tutors them._ She clicked and typed on the computer in front of her. "Actually, it looks like physics is pretty much full right now. Even if you met with your advisor, I doubt he'll make the exception." 

"I really wouldn't be any trouble. Maybe if I got Mr. Banner to put in a good word?" 

_Of course he wouldn't be any trouble, not a perfect Cullen. If only my son…_ "I know, but even if you got Mr. Banner on board I really don't think—" 

The door opened behind Edward, but whoever it was didn't think of Edward or Mrs. Cope, so he ignored the arrival and concentrated on Mrs. Cope. He leaned in slightly closer and held his eyes a little wider. _I wish my eyes weren't so dark_ , Edward thought _. The blackness scares them_. 

"Please Mrs. Cope?" He made his voice as soothing and as compelling as it could be. "There must be _something_ I can do in place of sixth hour Biology." He smiled at her, letting the expression soften his face. 

Her heart drummed faster. "Well, maybe I could talk to Bob— er, Mr. Banner—" 

The door to the office swung open, and Samantha Wells created a flurry of air and papers as she walked up to place a tardy slip in a basket on the counter and walk back out, thinking about what she was going to do after school. Edward turned in horror, he had inhaled and that sickening sweet scent filled his nostrils as it had just two hours prior. 

Bella Swan stood patiently with her back pressed against the wall beside the door. She looked like a child, waiting with a piece of paper in her hands. Her eyes were wide, taking in the scene that laid out before her. 

The smell of her saturated every particle of air in the tiny, hot room. Edward's throat burst into flames once more. His hand instinctively clutched at his throat, his voice a little hoarse. "Nevermind, then, Mrs. Cope. I can see that it's impossible. Thank you for your help." He spun, almost launching himself from the room, trying to avoid the warmth radiating from Bella as he passed inches from her. 

Bella blinked as he moved past her. _Was he just trying to get out of Biology? Was this because of me?_ She asked herself. She had noticed that Edward was trying to convince the secretary in a low, attractive voice. Her gut wrenched. Was it possible for this stranger to loathe her, without her even speaking a word to him? Or did something happen earlier that day to put him in such a foul mood? 

Bella meekly walked to the desk and handed the secretary the slip. 

"How did your first day go, dear?" she asked maternally. 

"Fine," Bella lied, her voice weak, hoping it would be taken for shyness instead of an obvious lie. Mrs. Cope didn't look convinced. 

Bella had to concentrate even harder as she made her way to her truck, and she was doing quite well in avoiding slipping on the newly formed ice. She only slipped when she rounded the back of her truck, managing to catch herself on the truck's bed. She steadied herself for a moment, not letting go just yet. She looked around, wondering if anyone had seen. There was a large group of students who stopped to participate in a snowball fight, others were walking to the buses and their cars. Just when Bella thought that no one witnessed her embarrassing stumble, she locked eyes with him. 

Edward was staring right through her. His arms were crossed as he leaned against the side of his volvo. His jaw looked as if it were clenched. He was waiting on his family. 

His head whipped to the side, he noticed that Alice, along with the rest of his family, was walking out of the school. Alice had stopped dead in her tracks on the sidewalk while the others had continued on for a few steps until they noticed that she had stopped. Her mouth hung open in shock as she looked far away, almost as if she was lost in thought. 

Edward knew what she was seeing of course. Alice was seeing the future unfold just seconds before the danger was going to occur. Tyler Crowley was going to back his van out of his parking space, and as he was accelerating, he was going to lose control of his van and run right into a student— right into Bella, and it was going to be... _messy_. 

Analyzing the situation quickly, Edward stood in attention. Alice isn't close enough to keep her vision from occurring, but Edward was only four cars down from Bella. Tyler's van had already begun to pull out of its spot, Edward began to walk toward Bella. 

Bella furrowed her brow, why was Edward walking toward her now? He still looked angry. Was he going to confront her about his strange attitude from earlier today? Then Bella heard a screeching, her head snapped away, meeting the sight of a dark blue van spinning out of control toward her. Bella stood in horror as she was about to be crushed. She braced herself, closing her eyes, waiting for the end.

Instead, she felt the wind being taken out of her as a pair of arms wrapped around her. She was tackled to the ground in a blur. She suddenly wasn't in front of her truck's tailgate anymore. She was behind the car that was parked to her right, laying on her side. Her and her savior, that she couldn't yet identify due to the sheer speed of the scene, skidded to a halt on the asphalt. The van's side slammed into the back of Bella's truck, completely denting the van. Tyler's head slammed against the driver's side window, effectively knocking him out, his foot resting ever so slightly on the gas, the van was now headed straight for Bella and Edward. 

Letting go of the girl, Edward shot up and dug his shoulder into the front of the van. He heard the thunk of Bella's head on the asphalt seconds after he left her side, he winced realizing that he probably could have set her down more gently, but the van needed to be taken care of. Grabbing under the van, Edward lifted up the front and swung it with such a force that caused Tyler's unconscious form to shift his foot off the gas. Tyler's van was now slightly diagonal to Bella's truck and the car that they were now behind. It teetered side to side as Edward turned to check on Bella. 

The whole scene took about 20 seconds from the start of Tyler losing control of his van, to the teetering. Edward smelled blood, but it wasn't the sickening smell of Bella, it was Tyler's. Normally, Edward wouldn't really have been able to contain himself for this long, but his mind was focused on the girl in front of him. He sighed with relief, her blood hadn't spilled. He had scraped up her clothes a bit though, thanks to the gliding around on the asphalt from the tackle. 

Bella was fighting consciousness herself, struggling to keep her eyes open. 

"Are you okay?" Edward asked, leaning over her. He soon realized that was a mistake as her tempting scent washed over him. He kept his distance. Alice was on her way over, but the others stayed back, walking over to Edward's car. 

Bella mumbled to herself, nothing too coherent. An "ow," maybe. 

Edward held his breath and covered his mouth and nose with his hand.

Alice eyed him, then Bella. "Are _you_ ok?" She was asking Edward. 

He shook his head. Students were now on their way over, having heard the noise of the accident.

Alice stared straight ahead. "You're leaving," she said sadly. Edward so desperately wanted to run, and bunched up his muscles, getting ready to. "Edward, visit Carlisle first. He'll want to know why. I'll look after Bella until the paramedics arrive." 

Edward walked off until he hit the treeline that bordered the school's campus. He started running at top speed after that, arriving at the hospital where his father worked in just a few minutes. Searching for his thoughts, he was glad to find that Carlisle was in his office. 

The silhouette that Bella could barely make out suddenly backed away. Whoever it was, was speaking to her and she tried to respond, but sleep desperately wanted to take ahold. Now, a new silhouette appeared, voice and image becoming a bit clearer. 

"Bella? Bella? You have to stay awake, we don't know if you have a concussion," A high pitched, almost lilting voice spoke. 

Bella blinked, finally seeing Alice's figure leaning over her. "You're so pretty," she mumbled, quite out of it. 

Alice giggled. "And unfortunately spoken for. Do you think you can sit up, Bella?"

The girl winced as she struggled to right herself. Alice's hand supported her back. They were now surrounded by a crowd of students. Bella recognized Jessica, Mike, and Angela in the group of people. She also recognized her truck, which was now a parking space away from her. The van's left back end was angled toward the tailgate of her Chevy, but it looked like the van was pushed away from where Bella and Alice were now standing...there was skid marks where the van's wheels traveled, even. 

Bella looked to Alice. "What happened?" 

"Tyler almost made a sandwich out of you and two cars." Alice answered. 

"Who tackled me out of the way?" Bella asked, rubbing the back of her head.

"That would have been my brother," Alice said nonchalantly. "Edward."

She looked around, but didn't see Edward in sight. "Where'd he go?"

"He's not a fan of attention," Alice replied. "I think he went home with the others." She nodded to where the silver volvo was once parked. It was gone now. 

Bella's eyebrows furrowed. "How are you going to get home?" 

"I told Edward that I'd stay with you until the paramedics came. I can hitch a ride with them to the hospital and Carlisle can drive me home." She winked. 

Bella wasn't sure if it was the head injury or if it was just her being an easily flustered buffoon, but it didn't keep her from blushing. The rosy tint to her cheeks made Alice smile. 

The ambulances rounded the corner to the parking lot of the school shortly after that. It took a few minutes for a handful of students, teachers, and the EMTs to push the van out of the way. They loaded Tyler up first, as he looked worse off than Bella and was still passed out. They did, however, insist that Bella wear a neck brace and loaded her up on a stretcher for transport. Alice rode in the front, and Bella had a million questions running through her head. 

Charlie was at the hospital before Bella's ambulance even arrived. He was waiting just inside emergency when he saw his only daughter get pulled in on a stretcher. His face went pale. "Bella!" He sounded panicked. 

"I'm fine," Bella dismissed with a sigh. 

"You certainly don't look _fine_." He turned to one of the EMTs for a second opinion. They answered a few questions before insisting that Bella head to radiology for a few x-rays. He'd have to wait. 

Alice stayed by Bella's side, following her into emergency. Since she was Dr. Cullen's kid, the small hospital staff allowed it, but like the rest of the Cullens, she seemed to have a bit of charm on her side to help her along the way. A nurse put a pressure cuff on Bella's arm and a thermometer under her tongue. Since no one bothered pulling the curtain around to give her some privacy, Bella decided she wasn't obligated to wear the stupid-looking neck brace anymore. When the nurse walked away, she quickly unfastened the Velcro and threw it under the bed. 

"Bella, I don't really think that was a good idea," Alice said, trying to sound serious, but her eyes were sparkling with curiosity. 

"Look—" Bella forgot the pixie-like Cullen's name for a moment.

"Alice," She reminded Bella. 

"Alice." She repeated. "Look, Alice. I really think I'm fine. I've got a slight headache, but I've always been a clumsy kid. I've had my fair share of bruises."

"Oh?" Alice was intrigued, but Bella wasn't falling for it, no matter how hard she flushed. 

"I have questions." 

"Oh," her tone was disappointed. 

"How did Edward know to head toward me before the van even started to pull away from the parking spot?"

Alice shrugged, "Coincidence, probably." She lied easily. "Maybe he was going to talk to you about something, and things just unfolded differently." 

Bella seemed to accept this for now. "But he still got over to me fairly fast…"

"I've been telling him to go for the track team for _years_ ," Alice smirked as if enjoying her own inside joke. "He's a good sprinter, and probably got a good boost of adrenaline when he saw the van lose control like that." 

Bella mumbled to herself, disgruntled. "And you? Why did you run over? You before the other part of the crowd, too."

"I was looking at Edward as it happened. I saw it before anyone else did." Alice definitely wasn't lying on that part. _Saw it first,_ she thought. _Hell, I predicted it_. "I was worried for you both, so I ran over." 

More questions buzzed around Bella's head, but they were interrupted by Tyler's stretcher being brought in beside Bella's. He was awake now. 

"Bella! Oh, man, I'm so sorry." 

"It's ok, Tyler, really. I'm ok. You look worse off than me." As they spoke, nurses began unwinding his soiled bandages, exposing a myriad of shallow slices all over his forehead and left cheek. 

He ignored Bella. "I thought I was going to kill you! I was going too fast, and I hit the ice wrong…" He winced as one nurse started dabbing at his face. 

"Don't worry about it; you missed me." 

"How'd you get outta the way so fast? You were there and then you weren't."

Bella glanced at Alice. She looked a little tense. "Edward tackled me out of the way." 

He looked confused. "Who?"

"Edward Cullen. He was walking in my direction and when he saw your van, he ran toward me and tackled me out of the way." 

"Cullen? I didn't see him… wow, it was all so fast, I guess. Is he okay?"

Bella glanced at Alice again, she nodded. "Yeah he's fine." 

  
A nurse came to wheel Bella into radiology for x-rays. Alice excused herself to get some water for the both of them. They took the radiographs, and concluded that nothing looked off, but of course, they would need the doctor's second opinion. So, Bella was stuck waiting in the ER afterward, getting harassed by Tyler's constant apologies and promises to make it up to her. Bella tried to convince him that she was fine, but he continued to torment himself. Finally, Bella closed her eyes and ignored him. He kept up a remorseful mumbling. Alice hadn't returned yet. 

Edward knocked on the door to Carlisle's office. He had heard Edward's approach, and was alarmed as soon as he saw his face. He jumped to his feet, his pale face growing even paler. He leaned forward across the neatly organized walnut desk. 

_Edward, what's wrong?_

"There was an accident with the new girl at school…" Edward began. Carlisle's thoughts jumped to conclusions.  
_You didn't— ?_

"No, not like that. A van was about to crush her, so I ran over and tackled her out of the way. She hit her head, I think." He paused. "But Carlisle?"

"Yes, Edward?" 

"She smells more intoxicating than the others to me," His eyes fell to the floor, almost ashamed. "It took everything in me not to end her and the entire biology class when she entered the room." 

_Oh, son, but you didn't_ _and that's what matters_. "She's a siren. Did you tell the others?" 

"Just Emmett," Edward frowned at the memory his brother shared earlier today. "Apparently he's encountered one before. Are siren's always resistant to gifts? I can't read her mind." 

Carlisle cocked his head to the side. "No, That must be something unrelated to her scent. How odd." 

"Carlisle, I don't think I can stay here anymore," Edward admitted. 

"But, son, you did the right thing, and it couldn't have been easy for you. I'm so proud of you, Edward." 

He continued to frown. "You don't know how close I was, though. And with my actions today, she might start asking questions...she probably knows there's something _wrong_ with me." 

"That doesn't matter. If we have to leave, we leave. What has she said?"

"She thinks that Edward was just walking over to talk to her before the van lost control, and that he's just really good at running," Alice appeared in the room. Both Edward and Carlisle's heads whipped around to look at her. "She is suspicious, and asks a lot of questions, but she told the Tyler boy that you saved her." 

"She _did_ hit her head," Carlisle said. _Perhaps discrediting her won't be necessary though. A good fall-back, but we'll see how this plays out. It sounds like I have a patient to check on_. 

"Please," Edward said. "I'm so worried that I hurt her." 

Carlisle's expression brightened. He smoothed back his fair hair which was just a few shades lighter than his golden eyes, and he laughed. 

_It has been an interesting first day for the girl, hasn't it?_ In his mind, Edward could see the irony, and it was indeed humorous, at least to him. Quite the reversal of roles. Somewhere during that short thoughtless second where he had sprinted across the icy lot, Edward had transformed from the killer to the protector. 

"Is she sleeping?" Edward asked, stepping into the ring of curtains with Alice, who remembered to grab two glasses of water on her way back. 

Bella's eyes flew open and she sat up suddenly. It was almost comical looking. Her eyes met Alice first, and then they glanced up at Edward, who was significantly taller. Bella's friendly-eyed greeting for Alice quickly turned into a suspicious glare when she looked at Edward. 

Edward could feel the already familiar burning in his throat as he took a breath before speaking. The smell of hospital mingled with Bella's scent. "Before the accident, I was about to walk over and apologize for my rudeness in Biology. I felt sick to my stomach, I think I may be getting the stomach flu," Edward covered up for his actions naturally. "I'm sorry." 

"You should really take Alice's advice," Bella said. 

Edward looked confused, then looked at Alice before looking back at Bella. "About what?"

"About joining the track team? If you can run that fast, you may as well. Or football since you decided to tackle me like a linebacker." 

"Oh," Edward said. "I'm not really into sports. Enough about me, though. How are you feeling?" 

"Fine," she dismissed. "How did you push the van away?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about." He blinked. Alice set her water down and decided to slip away while the conversation got heated. 

"I remember the skid marks," Bella's brow furrowed. "If you were the one to push me out of the way, you must have also been the one to keep the van from running us over. Vans aren't light, Edward."

"I don't know what you're trying to insinuate. Can't you just thank me for saving your life?" _Why in the world was Bella bringing this up now, of all times_ , thought Edward. 

Her eyes narrowed. "We'll talk later about this." Bella, for now, just really wanted to get out of the hospital. 

_Hah, good luck_ , Edward thought. _You'll probably never see me again_. He wondered where he was going to go, maybe north…

Carlisle walked into the room. "So, Miss Swan, how are you feeling?" He asked. 

Bella's mouth almost fell open in awe at Carlisle's beauty. A pang of jealousy hit Edward and he groaned internally. 

"I'm fine," was all she could muster again. 

Carlisle fished her x-rays out of her file and placed them in the lightboard on the wall beside her bed. "Well your radiographs look fine, but I'm going to have to give you a concussion test and test your reflexes." 

Bella grumbled about being stuck in the hospital for longer, but agreed. 

"Perfect, can you recite these five words after I've given them to you…"

Bella passed the cognitive tests with flying colors, not that they're hard, just necessary to ensure that her brain was functioning normally. 

Carlisle also stepped closer and ran his fingers gently over her scalp until he found the bump under her hair. Bella winced. 

"Tender?" He asked her. 

Her chin jutted up a fraction. "Not really." 

Bella was brave, like a wounded animal, she didn't like to show weakness. Edward allowed a chuckle to slip through his lips. Bella shot another glare at him. 

"Well," Began Carlisle. "I think all you really need is some Tylenol and some rest. Your father is waiting in the living room. You can go home with him now. Come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight." 

"Thank you," Bella replied with a sweetly shy tone. 

Edward's hand twitched as another wave of jealousy hit him. 

"You were lucky," Carlisle remarked. "What an interesting first day of school."

"Lucky that Edward was already walking over to talk to me," She remarked. "Normally I'm not a fan of dramatic introductions." 

"Well the school definitely enjoyed it," Edward smirked. "Half the kids who were in the parking lot are in the waiting room." 

Bella groaned, slowly hopping off the bed. Carlisle turned to assess Tyler's situation and left Edward and Bella to their own devices. 

"Later is now," Bella said, looking up at Edward, chin jutting out ever so slightly. 

This took Edward by surprise. He narrowed his eyes right back at her. "Fine," he simply said, turning around and pushing the curtains back with a flair. He led the way down a quiet hallway before pulling off to the side. He whipped around to face Bella, expecting. 

"How in the world were you able to push that van by yourself?" She demanded. 

If Edward could bristle like a cat, he would have then and there. "I saved your life, Bella. Can't you just thank me and let it go?" 

"Thank you," She didn't sound sincere. "Forgive me for letting curiosity get the best of me." She frowned. 

"You hit your head," He mentioned. "It's not like anyone would believe you anyway." 

"It's not like that," Bella said quickly, her eyes filled with anger and hurt. "I just want to know why I'm lying for you." 

That's only fair, thought Edward. It frustrated him that he'd have to deny her that. 

"Why do you think I was able to do something like that Bella?" He looked away, his jaw clenching. He wasn't sure what her response was going to be. 

After a moment, Bella responded. "I...I don't know." Could it have really been adrenaline?

 _You're impossible_ , he thought. "Then I guess we'll just have to be frustrated, then." 

"Why did you even bother?" Bella's cheeks were red again, but she was gritting her teeth this time. 

Edward's tense muscles relaxed then. He looked defeated, like he's aged at least five years. "I don't know." He analyzed her face one last time, not knowing if he'd ever see this girl again, and then turned and walked away. 

The waiting room was more unpleasant than Bella and Edward's previous conversation. It seemed like everyone in Forks was here, staring at Bella. As soon as she entered the room, chatter died down. Bella felt like she had an extra head surgically attached and everyone came to the hospital to see the new tourist attraction. Charlie rushed to her side and she instinctively put up her hands.

"There's nothing wrong with me," Bella told him reassuringly. She was still aggravated and not in the mood for idle chit chat. 

"What did the doctor say?" He cut to the chase. 

"Dr. Cullen saw me and said I should spend the rest of the day resting at home, to take Tylenol for my headache, and that I was fine." Bella sighed, looking around the waiting room. She caught Mike's eyes. He was talking with Jessica and Angela, who were attempting to get closer. "Can we go?"

Charlie put a hand on Bella's back and escorted her to the exit. She looked back at her friends and waved sheepishly, hoping to convey that they didn't need to worry anymore. It was a huge relief— the first time She'd ever felt that way— to get into the cruiser. 

They drove in silence. Bella was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she barely noticed that Charlie was there. She was positive that Edward's defensive behavior in the hall was a confirmation of the bizarre things she still could hardly believe she witnessed. 

When they got to the house, Charlie finally spoke. 

"Um, you'll need to call Renée." He hung his head, guilty. 

Bella was appalled. "You told Mom!" 

"Sorry. Some first day at school, huh?" 

His daughter slammed the cruiser's passenger door a little harder than necessary on her way out. 

Renée was in hysterics, of course. Bella had to tell her that she felt fine at least thirty times before she would calm down. She begged Bella to come home, forgetting the fact that home was empty at the moment, but her pleas were easier to resist than Bella would have thought. She was consumed by the mystery Edward Cullen presented. And more than a little obsessed by Edward himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She wasn't as eager to escape Forks as she should be, as any normal, sane person would be. 

Bella decided that she may as well go to bed early that night. Charlie continued to watch her anxiously, and it was getting on her nerves. She stopped on her way to bed and grabbed three Tylenol from the bathroom. They did help, and as the pain eased she drifted off to sleep.


	3. Tergiversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The act of changing one's opinions or of turning from them; the act of turning against a cause formerly advocated; fickleness or instability of conduct.  
> \--  
> Yaaa some creative liberties on character interactions and then totally ripped Edward POV from the old Midnight Sun leak whoo. Enjoy

Anxiety met Bella first thing the very next day. As much as she didn't want to get out of bed yesterday, the feeling today was amplified tenfold. She forced herself to go to school, however, otherwise Charlie would have likely insisted on a second trip to the hospital. Once she was at school, it generally felt easier than yesterday. It wasn't raining or snowing, at least not immediately, and she knew what to expect for all of her classes. Mike, the friendly jock from yesterday sat by her in English. Whenever he saw her in the hallway on the way to class he gave a cheerful "Hey Bella!" and a wave. Chess Club Eric was near him the first time he did this and glared. At lunch, Bella sat with them and Jessica again. She was beginning to feel comfortable, like she was treading water and not drowning in it. 

To her dismay, Bella found herself in the center of Tyler Crowley's attention for the rest of the week. He would follow her around trying to make amends somehow, despite Bella's request for everyone to just forget the incident. She wasn't even hurt like Tyler was, but he insisted. Adopting Mike's usual lost puppy habits of following me around between classes and sitting with her table at lunch. Mike was especially less friendly to Tyler, causing Bella to worry that she had gained an unwelcome fan. 

The other dreadful parts of the day included Mr. Varner the Trig teacher calling on Bella when she didn't have her hand raised and didn't know the answer. She also had to play volleyball, hitting a teammate on the head, and then getting hit when it she wasn't flinching away. To top it all off, Edward failed to show himself today. When she didn't see him enter the lunchroom with the rest of his family, her stomach sank. In the moment, she felt like she could throw up. 

Mike and Jessica babbled on at their table while Bella tried to distract herself with their conversation, but the attempt was futile. Her anxiety got the better of her, and she ended up throwing away half her lunch. With Edward's weird attitude before and after the accident, and his attempt to switch classes, she was really beginning to think his sudden disappearance had something to do with her, and that thought made her even more nervous. 

On the way to Biology, Mike followed her like a happy-go-lucky puppy. He chatted about wanting to do a beach trip soon, extending the invitation for Bella to come along. She said that she'd have to pass the idea by her dad before she gave him a solid answer, but she really just wanted to buy herself some time in case she needed an escape plan. 

Class started, and she had the desk to herself. Edward's seat stayed empty and would stay empty for the rest of the week. The nagging feeling that she was the was the one directly responsible for his sudden AWOL didn't go away. She almost expected him to pop out of nowhere with mixed looks of horror and aversion. 

Bella swung by her locker after gym to drop off some textbooks she didn't need for homework. The hallways were still pretty crowded, so she was trying to take up as little space as possible while getting the job done quickly. 

A puff of air brushed by her as a familiar pixie-like figure almost danced to her side. It was Alice Cullen, and she was smiling at her cheerfully. 

_ Whatever the reason for Edward's absence, at least his family doesn't seem resentful of me, _ thought Bella. 

"Hey, Bella," She chirped. Her back leaned against the locker next to Bella's, a textbook tucked into her crossed arms. 

Bella glanced around before responding, almost as if she was making sure that Alice was talking to her, even though she said her name. Bella noticed Jasper Hale standing a good distance away, with his eyes locked on the two of them. 

"Um, hello, Alice." 

"How are you feeling today?" She asked casually. 

"Fine," Bella answered. "Headache's gone...thanks again for, uh, sticking around yesterday." 

"Oh no problem," Alice flashed another smile that made Bella's pulse quicken. 

_ Why did all of the Cullen's have to be so beautiful and charming?  _ Bella asked herself. "Was...Was there something you needed?" 

Alice found Bella's timidness endearing. "I just wanted to check up on you, see how you were doing. How's your second day going?" 

"Better than yesterday," Bella chuckled.  _ Maybe Alice and her were going to be...friends? _ She glanced back at Jasper, only for a split second. He was still staring, Bella flushed again. 

Alice suddenly had a far-off look to her. It only lasted for a couple of seconds before she snapped out of it. She had a vision. 

Alice Cullen saw herself in front of the mirror in her room with Bella sitting at the vanity chair in front of her. They were talking, laughing, while Alice played with her hair, brushing it. Bella seemed like her little doll. Her vision changed abruptly, Bella was standing in front of her, her face serious, but trusting. Alice leaned in, Bella exposing her neck to her— She blinked, Alice forcing herself to stop seeing the vision, afraid of it's temptation. 

"I'll let you get to class—" 

"Wait," Bella interrupted, trying to sound casual. "Edward's not here today." 

Alice's face flashed with sadness for a moment before she composed herself, but Bella had noticed the sadness in her eyes. "Oh yeah, his stomach flu was worse today, he stayed home." 

"Oh," Bella said. "I hope he gets better soon." 

"Me too," Alice smiled sweetly. "Talk to you later, Bella!" 

Alice walked gracefully back over to Jasper, whose eyes softened and arms unfolded as he greeted her. "Well?" he asked. 

"She's fine," Alice said. "We're going to be friends." A smile splayed across her face once more. "But there's something else…" 

Jasper swallowed hard. 

Edward had really left for Alaska last night, which was the real reason he wasn't at school today. His family was friends with the Denali, another family who lived in similar situations as his. They welcomed Edward with open arms. 

He leaned back against the soft snow bank, letting the dry powder reshape itself around his weight. His skin cooled to match the air around him, and the tiny pieces of ice felt like velvet under his skin. It was night time, the sky above him a clear brilliant chaos of stars. He could make out the milky way and all the little galaxies that made themselves small with distance. The stars created majestic swirling patterns against the black universe— an awesome sight. But the beautiful sky went unnoticed by Edward. 

This wasn't the freedom from Bella's scent that Edward was looking for. It was the only thing he could think of. Her brown doe-eyes staring right back at him, Edward felt haunted. When he stared up at the perfect sky, all he could see was that face looking right back at him. 

Edward heard the approaching thoughts before he heard the footsteps that accompanied the source of them. The sound of movement was only a faint whisper against the powdered snow. 

Tanya had followed him here, but Edward wasn't surprised. She had been planning a conversation in her head, putting it off until she was absolutely sure of exactly what she wanted to say. 

She sprang into sight about sixty yards away, leaping onto the tip of an outcropping of black rock and balancing there on the balls of her bare feet. 

Tanya's skin was silver in the starlight, and her long blonde curls shone pale, almost pink with their strawberry tint. Her amber eyes glinted as she met Edward's figure, half buried in the snow, her full lips stretching into a smile. 

She crouched down on the point of the stone, her fingertips touching the rock, her body coiled. 

_ Cannonball _ , she thought. 

Tanya launched herself into the air, her shape became a dark, twisting shadow as she spun gracefully between Edward and the stars. She curled herself into a ball just before she struck the snow bank beside Edward. A blizzard of snow flying up around them, burying them deep in the feathery ice crystals. 

Edward sighed, not even Tanya could distract him from the thing he wanted to forget. He didn't move to emerge from the snow. 

"Edward?" Tanya's voice rang softly, muffled by the snow. 

The snow flew around them again as Tanya swiftly unearthed him, brushing the powder from his unmoving face, not quite meeting his eyes. 

"Sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to annoy you."

"No, I know. It was funny. I'm sorry." 

Her mouth twisted down. 

"Irina and Kate said I should leave you alone. They think I'm annoying you." 

"Not at all," Edward assured her. "I'm the one who's being rude. I'm very sorry." 

"Why are you here, Edward?" Tanya asked. 

"It's really a long story…" 

She chuckled. "You talk as if we don't have all the time in the world." Tanya laid down on the snow with Edward now. She stretched her hand to the sky, pretending to squish a star between her thumb and finger. 

"I've met a Siren." 

Tanya's mouth twisted down, she sat up. "You didn't…?"

"No," Edward sighed. "But I wanted to, and now she's all I can think about."

_ Oh, a she.  _ Tanya was hit with a pang of sadness and jealousy. "And? Is that the reason why you're up here? You fled a Siren?"

Edward sat up now, tucking his knees into his chin. "I saved her life. She almost got hit by a car. And she noticed that I'm  _ different _ ." 

"Oh," Tanya said.  _ And you can't resist her.  _

Edward chuckled. "No I suppose I can't." 

_ So, you're going home, aren't you? _ She thought. 

"I haven't entirely...decided yet." 

_ But you're not staying here _ . Her sadness now leaked into her inner voice. 

"No. Nothing I do seems to be helping." Edward forcefully closed his eyes, but it was futile. He saw her face again. 

"I wish I could help," Tanya confessed. 

"You are," Edward chose his words carefully. "Just listening to me complain helped a little bit." 

"When you showed up here," Tanya said slowly. "I thought that…"

"That I had changed my mind." Edward knew what she thought, and he should have thought about that before he decided on coming up, but his thoughts were already clouded. 

"Yes." She scowled. 

"I feel horrible for toying with your expectations, Tanya. I didn't mean to, I wasn't thinking. I left in...quite a hurry." 

"Right," She said. "No, it's fine. I'm behaving like a child. Emotions are so... _ human _ ." She stood up and brushed the snow off of her clothes. 

Edward chuckled. "You're right about that." 

"Well," She said patting Edward's back once. "I think you will go back to Carlisle. This Siren...you'll find a way to control yourself. You'll face it head on." 

Edward tried to embrace the vision of himself that she carried in her head.  _ The one who faced things head on _ . It was pleasant to think of himself that way again. He had never doubted his courage, or his ability to face difficulty before that horrible hour in a high school biology class. 

He kissed her cheek, dodging her attempt at turning the kiss into something else. 

"Thank you again, Tanya, for listening to me. I needed this." 

"You're welcome," she sighed. Her mind flashed with her hopes of a future with Edward. Them running around in the pine forests of Alaska together with the rest of the Denali. She said good-bye to those thoughts, the first step in finding peace with Edward's decision. "Not going to lie, I wish you would stay." 

"You know you're too good for me." 

She nodded only once. "Well, if I don't see you again before you leave...goodbye, Edward." 

"Goodbye, Tanya." Edward did see himself returning to Carlisle's, motivated now to stay strong enough to go back to the one place he wanted to be. 

She turned away, tensed her body, and then ran off into the horizon, ghosting across the snow so quickly that her feet had no time to sink into the snow; she left no prints behind her. She didn't look back. Edward's rejection bothered her more than she'd let on before, even in her thoughts. She wouldn't want to see him again before he left. 

Edward's mouth twisted with dejection. He didn't like hurting Tanya, but her feelings were not deep, and hardly pure. They were something Edward couldn't return, but it still made him feel less than a gentleman. 

He sat back down and pulled his knees into his chin once more, staring at the stars. Edward was suddenly anxious to be on his way. Alice would know that he decided to come home, and she would tell the others who would be elated. But all Edward could do was gaze up at the stars for one more moment and try to see past the face in his head. Again, between him and the brilliant lights in the sky, a pair of chocolate-brown eyes stared back at him, seeming to ask what his decision would mean for her. Even in his imagination, he couldn't hear her thoughts. Bella Swan's eyes continued to question, a true enigma, and an unobstructed view of the stars continued to elude him. With a heavy sigh, he gave up and jumped to his feet. If he ran, he would be back at Carlisle's car in less than an hour. 

In a hurry to see his family, and wanting very much to be the Edward that faced things head on, he raced across the starlit snowfield, leaving no footprints behind. 


	4. Discern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward returns from the Denali clan. More Alice and Bella development. Some more stuff ripped from the original.   
> \---

Edward's heart sank when he returned to Carlisle's. Alice had been desperately trying  _ not _ to think of the vision, but it honestly couldn't be helped and now she avoided him like the plague, for good reason too. 

"I should've stayed in Alaska," Edward fumed. 

Esme saddened. "Now, Edward, you know Alice's visions aren't final." Her arms outstretched a little as if to comfort her son, but she thought against it. 

He almost hissed. "To think of Bella...turning into one of us…" It felt like he had been kicked hard in the stomach. 

"It doesn't have to happen," Esme sounded like she was pleading.

"It  _ won't _ happen." Edward eyed Alice hard. She was standing in the corner of the room, looking like a scolded child. 

"Are you done being broody, Edward? We're going to be late to school." Rosalie passed by, running a hand through her perfect hair. She headed toward the garage, Emmett following behind like a puppy. 

Edward eyed Alice again before saying farewell to his mother and heading out the door. 

Bella began Monday like she began the previous five weekdays before. She easily fell into a routine, and she was getting used to it. Anxiety about Edward was finally fading after he hadn't shown his face since last Monday. She shrugged off the thought that his absence had something to do with her first day. Things were starting to feel normal. 

It had snowed again the night before. Not as wet as last time, so the ice didn't have a chance to form yet. Everyone was chattering excitedly about the snow in the morning, but Bella kept her mouth shut. Snow melted eventually and left a wet, miserable path in its wake. Sure, it was pretty, but not pretty enough to tolerate. Bella looked out the window of her next class, wishing for it to go away. 

She walked briskly, on high alert as students were now throwing snowballs back and forth across the campus. Bella kept a binder in her hands as a makeshift shield, assuming that she'd have the reflexes to block a flying snowball, as she walked from Spanish with Jessica who thought she was hilarious for the guarded behavior. Mike caught up to them as they walked in the doors. He was laughing, ice spikes in his hair melting as the warm blast of heating washed over him. Jessica and he were talking enthusiastically about the snow fight as they all got in line to buy food. Bella had glanced toward the lone table in the corner out of habit, and then froze where she stood. Edward was back. 

Jessica nudged her. "Earth to Bella. What do you want for lunch?"

Bella looked down, her ears hot. She wanted to scream, vomit, or run away.  _ Why did he come back? Does this mean I wasn't the cause of his absence? _ Bella wondered.

A soprano voice snapped Bella out of her stupor. She turned her head to the sound. It was Alice. 

She lightly hugged Bella with one arm. "You should sit with me today." Alice politely eyed Jessica and Mike. "That is, if your friends don't mind." 

Not able to speak, mouths open, both Jessica and Mike shook their heads, indicating that they didn't mind at all. 

"With?" Bella sputtered, glancing at the table of Cullens. 

Alice sighed and dramatically rolled her eyes, even threw her head to her shoulder for added effect. "Edward's mad at me and I'd like to avoid him today. You don't mind either, do you?" 

Bella melted at Alice's childlike persuasiveness. "Uh, of course not." 

"Perfect," Alice's face lit up. She knew Bella wouldn't say no. 

As the two grabbed their lunches, anxiety crept up again, this time with a wave of anger. Bella remembered how rude Edward was last week, and wanted to stomp over to give him an earful. The only thing stopping her was the fact that causing a scene in front of the whole cafeteria would create talk amongst the students for  _ months _ . 

She glanced at the Cullen family's table as she and Alice sat down at a lone table. She couldn't help but notice that Edward's jaw was clenched. He did look mad. 

"So," Bella began. "Why is Edward mad at you? If you don't mind me asking…" 

Alice shrugged. "Edward's like that sometimes." She took a bite of apple and winked. "He's a bit broody." 

"Aside from the anger, is he feeling better?" 

Alice glanced over at the table. "Yeah, I think so." 

Bella nodded as if to say "that's good" but the words failed her. She was afraid she wouldn't sound sincere, being mad at Edward herself. 

"Do you think we're friends, Bella?" Alice asked suddenly. 

"Um, I don't see why not." Bella answered slowly. "He's not so mad that you'll have to stop sitting with your family, is he?" 

Alice chuckled. "Oh, I don't think it'll last long." She  _ knew _ that it wouldn't last long at all. "You two have Biology together, right?" 

"Yeah," dread filled Bella's voice. She forgot that she'd have to face him in about 25 minutes. A thought hit her.  _ Did he mention that to his family? To Alice at least?  _

"Hm," Alice thought. "I suppose he'll want to know what I'm talking to you about. It's really too bad I don't have any of his baby photos on me." She laughed. 

Bella smiled, too. It seemed easy talking to Alice. She wondered if she'd ever speak to the rest of the Cullens...if it would be this easy talking to the rest of them. "I just hope I don't catch his stomach flu, if it was bad enough for him to miss a week of school…" 

Alice wrinkled her nose. "You're just lucky you didn't have to live with it. Though, I think it was food poisoning, in all seriousness." She played with her drink. "What made you decide to move up to Forks?" 

Bella shrank a bit, feeling homesick. "Oh, well, my mom's married to a minor league baseball player… and they travel a lot. Moving in with Charlie was the best fit for everyone." 

"Ah," Alice responded. "So fitting that the snow tried killing you on your first day." 

A chuckle escaped Bella's lips. "Not going out without a fight, though." 

Jasper Hale had wandered over, stopping behind Alice's chair. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "I hate to interrupt, but we must be getting to class soon, dear." 

Alice's pale hand crossed her chest and joined with Jasper's. She looked up at him, smiling. "Of course," she agreed. "But where are you manners, Jasper? Let me introduce you to Bella Swan." 

Jasper nodded with a small, polite smile. It was emotionless. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella." 

Bella was bewildered at the Cullen children.  _ How polite they were! _ "The pleasure is mine, Jasper," She felt herself responding. Bella didn't think she ever said those words before in her life. It was like she was in  _ Wuthering Heights _ . She watched as the two left the table, Alice promising that they'd talk again sometime in the future, tray in her hand, before dumping the barely touched food. 

_ Crap _ , Bella thought suddenly. She was going to be late for Biology if she didn't get moving. 

Bella wasn't as late as she thought she was going to be, apparently a lot of kids left lunch early to play in the snow more, because when she arrived in Biology she was one of the few students in class. Edward hadn't even arrived yet. Bella took the time to gather her thoughts before having to confront Edward. She watched as Mr. Banner walked around the room, distributing microscopes and a box of slides to each table. Bella kept her eyes away from the door and doodled idly on the cover of her notebook. 

The chair next to her scooted noisily as her lab partner took his seat. 

Bella did not react to the sound by turning her head, but her hand missed a loop in the design she was drawing, making it look unbalanced. 

Edward wondered why she avoided looking at him. Was she afraid? 

"Hello," He said in the quiet voice he uses when he wants to make people more comfortable. He formed a polite smile with his lips. 

She looked up then, her wide brown eyes expecting anything but the calm, smiling face that greeted her. Edward was sitting as far away from her as the desk allowed, but his chair angled toward her. His hair was dripping wet and disheveled, yet still managed to look like he had just finished shooting a commercial for hair gel. His face was friendly, but his eyes careful. 

Bella's cheeks flushed, but she said nothing, feeling a bit frozen in the moment. 

He cleared his throat. "I didn't have a chance to properly introduce myself last week. I'm Edward Cullen. And you're Bella Swan, correct?"

Bella blinked. Her eyes looked like they were filled with questions. It was the same expression that had been haunting Edward's mind when he was up in Alaska. 

"Food poisoning, huh?" Was the only thing she managed to say. 

Edward laughed gently as if enjoying a private joke. "Yeah," he paused. "Bad food down in Port Angeles." 

"So, it was nothing to do with last monday...and the accident?"

_ How very...discerning _ , Edward thought. "Nope," He dismissed. "In fact, I was acting ridiculous last monday  _ because _ the food poisoning was just setting in." 

"Then why did you want to change biology to a different time?" 

He tensed. Bella was oddly astute, and she was on to his strange antics already. "Having biology right after lunch isn't very appealing to me, but I think that may have been the food poisoning talking." 

"Hard to be sick when you don't eat your lunch anyway," Bella teased, but her voice still had an edge to it. 

Before Edward could respond, Mr. Banner began class. Bella concentrated as he explained the lab they would be doing today. The slides in the small boxes were out of order. Working as lab partners, they had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis that they represented and label them accordingly. No books, no notes. In twenty minutes, Mr. Banner would be coming around to see who had it right. 

"Get started," He commanded. 

"Ladies first," Edward offered. 

Bella looked up at him, absorbing the crooked smile so beautiful that she could only stare at him like an idiot instead of responding. 

"Or...I could start, if you wish." Edward's smile faded. 

Bella's face went from pale white to red again. "No, I'll go ahead." She wanted to show off a little, to try and prove to her lab partner that she wasn't just a blundering girl. She had already done this lab back in Phoenix, and she was pretty good at science. She snapped the first slide into place under the microscope and adjusted it quickly to the first objective. She studied the slide briefly, her assessment confident. "Prophase." 

"Do you mind if I look?" Edward asked. He instinctively reached out to stop her hand from removing the slide, feeling the burning warmth of her skin on his. But to her, his fingers were ice cold. An electric current shared between the two. They both jerked their hands away. 

"I'm sorry," He muttered, reaching for the microscope. Bella watched him, still staggered from the contact, as he examined the slide for an even shorter amount of time than Bella had. "Prophase," he agreed with a nod, writing it neatly in the first space on their worksheet. He swiftly switched out the first slide for the second and then glanced at it cursorily. 

"Anaphase," He murmured again, writing it as he spoke. 

"You have nice handwriting," Bella complimented, the words falling out of her mouth automatically. 

"Thank you," He accepted the compliment. "Would you like to do the next one?" 

Bella's guard started to drop. Maybe Edward wasn't this weird, mean guy she had painted him out to be. Maybe Edward and her could be friends, like her and Alice had started to become. "Sure," she said, popping in the next slide. 

"Interphase," Bella passed him the microscope before he could ask for it. He took a quick peek and then wrote it down. 

The two finished before anyone else was close. Bella observed Mike and his partner comparing two slides again and again, and another group had their book open under the table. This left Bella nothing to do but to try to not look at her lab partner....which she did unsuccessfully. She glanced up and Edward was staring down at her again, the familiar look of frustration in his eyes. Suddenly, she identified the subtle difference in his face. 

"Did you get contacts?"

"No," He said almost questioning, wondering what was going through that head of hers. 

"Oh," She mumbled. "I thought there was something different about your eyes." 

Edward felt his stomach drop as he realized what she had noticed. Instead he shrugged and started ahead. 

Bella vividly remembered the blackness of his eyes last monday. Today, his eyes were a completely different color: a strange ochre, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone. Bella wondered if he was lying about the contacts, or if Forks was starting to make her crazy. She looked down, noticing his hands were clenched into fists again. 

Mr. Banner had approached the table to see why the two weren't working. He looked over their shoulders to glance at the completed lab sheet and ordered slides. 

"So, Edward, did you think Isabella should get a chance with the microscope?" He asked. 

She frowned at the thick layer of assumption that Mr. Banner was laying down. Furrowing her eyebrows she silently debated on if he was being misogynistic or if he meant no harm because he was more familiar with Edward as a student. 

"Bella," Edward corrected automatically, "actually identified three of the five." 

The teacher looked at Bella now, his expression skeptical. "Have you done the lab before?" he asked. 

Bella smiled sheepishly. "Not with onion root."

"Whitefish blastula?"

"Yeah."

Mr. Banner nodded, "Were you in advanced placement in Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"Well, " he said after a moment, "I guess it's good you two are lab partners, then." He mumbled something else as he walked away. After he left, Bella began doodling on her notebook again. 

"Alice told me you were mad at her this morning," Bella stated rather than asked. 

Edward hesitated. "Yeah," he sighed. "She can be a bit annoying, but it's hard to stay mad at her for long." He smiled slightly. 

"She said she wanted to be friends with me," Bella said slowly, calculating. "Anything I should watch out for?" She decided to keep it light hearted.

_ Yeah,  _ Edward thought _ , her teeth _ . "She's just excited to interact with someone outside our family, I think." 

"Well, what about you?" 

"Hm?" Edward asked, distracted. 

"You all seem to kind of keep to yourselves...are you also excited...to interact with me?" Bella looked up at Edward through her lashes. 

"It's definitely...enthralling," he said eventually. If his heart could do flips, it likely would have. 

"So, could we also be friends?" 

Edward smiled his half smile. He was happy that this girl wanted to be near him, but it was also upsetting because of how dangerous he was for her. "Only time will tell that." He decided to answer ominously. 

A moment passed before either of them spoke again. It was Edward who broke the silence. 

"I didn't see you." 

Bella looked at him, puzzled. "What?" 

"I didn't see you with the others, playing in the snow." 

"Oh," Bella sighed. "I'm not fond of snow...or rain." The corners of her mouth dipped into a frown. 

Edward looked fascinated at this, his face becoming such a distraction to Bella that she decided not to look at it. 

He chuckled. "You come to one of the coldest, wettest places in the United States just to torture yourself then?"  _ Well, and to torture me apparently _ , he added mentally. 

"It certainly seems that way, doesn't it?" 

"Why?" 

"It's a...long, complex story." 

"I think I can keep up," he pressed. 

Bella paused for a moment and then made the mistake of meeting his gaze. His dark gold eyes confused her, and she answered without giving it a second thought. "My mother got remarried." 

"That doesn't sound so complex," he disagreed, but he was suddenly sympathetic. "When did that happen?" 

"Last September." Bella's voice sounded sad, even to her. 

"You don't like him, then?" Edward surmised, his tone still kind. 

"No, Phil's fine. Too young maybe, but nice enough." 

"Then why…?" 

Bella sighed once more. "Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living. Mom tried staying at home with me while he travelled, but I could tell it made her sad. So, I convinced her that I wanted to go to Forks and live with Charlie," she summarized. 

Edward made note of Bella's kindness. "Phil... what's his last name? I may have heard of him." 

"You probably haven't. He plays, but he doesn't play well. He's minor league." 

His eyebrows furrowed, trying to piece together Bella's motivation for coming here. "So, your mother...she knows you don't like Forks but she let you go anyway?" 

She leaned back slightly. "I insisted. She loves me, and she'd let me come back in an instant, but I can't bring myself to do that to her." 

"But you're her child," he said, almost pleading. 

"And? I only have the rest of this year and senior year left." She shrugged, now off put by the direction of the conversation. 

Edward was quiet for a second, searching Bella's face for something, anything. "Am I annoying you?" He asked eventually. 

The question threw Bella off a bit. "No, just confusing me." 

"What do you mean?" Edward was surprised.

"Well, on my first day here you acted like you were scared and angry with me, then you saved my life in the parking lot, missed school for a week, and then you show back up like nothing ever happened." 

"You've never been sick, have you?" He chuckled but it sounded dismissing. "One tends to come back to school from the flu as if nothing ever happened." 

"I've been sick," Bella protested. It came out more childish sounding than she wanted. 

"You should have lunch with me tomorrow," Edward offered out of nowhere. 

Bella almost guffawed. "No thanks." 

"Why not?" 

"You don't even eat your lunch. I don't want to be the only person at the table chowing down while you and your family just kinda stares at me." She got chills just thinking about it. She couldn't handle being around Edward, let alone five beautiful people at once. Not to mention how much the whole school would talk. 

Mr. Banner called the class to order then, and Bella turned with relief to listen. She was in disbelief that she'd just explained her dreary life to this bizarre, beautiful boy who may or may not despise her. He'd seemed engrossed in their conversation, but now she could see from the corner of her eye that he was leaning away from her again, his hands gripping the table with unmistakable tension. 

She tried to appear attentive as Mr. Banner illustrated with transparencies on the overhead projector exactly what Bella had seen in her microscope. However her thoughts were unmanageable. When the bell finally rang, Edward rushed as swiftly and as gracefully from the room as he had last Monday. And like last Monday, Bella stared after him in amazement. 

Mike skipped quickly to Bella's side and picked up her books for her. She imagined him with a wagging tail. 

"That was awful," he groaned. "they looked all the same. You're lucky you have Cullen as a partner."

"I didn't have any trouble with it," Bella said, stung by his assumption. "I've done the lab before, though." 

"Oh. Lucky in any case then." He nodded. "Cullen seemed friendly enough today." They shrugged on their coats. Mike didn't seem pleased.

Bella tried to sound indifferent. "Apparently he had food poisoning last Monday." 

Bella couldn't concentrate on Mike's chatter as they walked to the gym, and PE didn't do much to hold her attention either. Mike was on her team today. He chivalrously covered her position as well as his own, so Bella's untactfulness only showed when it was her turn to serve. Her team ducked warily out of the way every time she was up; they were learning. Bella didn't hit anyone in the head today. 

Fog rolled in at the end of the day, but it made Bella happier than the snow had. She knocked the snow from her boots as she climbed into the cab of her truck. She turned the heater to full blast as the engine roared to life once more. Unzipping her jacket, she let her hair fall out of her hood, fluffing it in the heat so it could dry on her way home. 

Bella looked around her to make sure the way was clear before pulling out. That's when she noticed the still, white figure. Edward was leaning against the front door of the Volvo, three doors down from her, and he was staring intently in her direction. She quickly looked away and threw her truck into reverse, almost hitting a rusty Toyota Corolla in her haste. Lucky for the Toyota, she stomped on her brake in time. Her truck would have made scrap metal of the thing if she hadn't stopped. She took a deep breath, still looking out the back of her car, and cautiously pulled out again with greater success. She stared straight ahead as she passed the Volvo, but from her peripheral vision she swore that she saw him laughing. 


	5. Spoilers: Conversation tidbits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These are raw, unedited conversation pieces I'd like to add to the story to develop Bella's relationships to the characters-- something I legitimately don't think we get enough of in the original Twilight series. I feel like Bella's relationship with the characters in the books is just *assumed* without too much context in order to keep the books "short". 
> 
> fuck keeping things short. Let me know about what Bella and Emmett did on Tuesday afternoon during a snow day. 
> 
> I'm publishing this for the SOLE reason of me believing that I'll never actually get to a point in my writing where I'll be able to put these pieces in AND because I'm sure no one will ever actually read or care about this rewrite lmao. SO YEAH SPOILERS FOR WHAT MAY NEVER ACTUALLY COME I GUESS  
> Again these are raw and unedited. POV is all over the place. Bear with me and enjoy this self indulgent nightmare  
> \---

**Bella and Edward must have some common interests that attract them to each other besides Ed's bloodlust and Bella's dazzlement, so they both must enjoy books.**

Edward carefully browsed the small selection of books that I had lining the bookcase in my room. He read through the titles and picked one up.

"This one is one of my favorites," he said. It was a D.H. Lawrence novel, _The Rainbow_. My copy had a picture of a woman on it in an oil painting style. 

"I enjoyed the themes in that one," I said, watching as Edward flipped through the pages idly. "I like how Lawrence encourages pushing against social norms. I've read _The Rockinghorse Winner_ , too. That one was...even more graphic, I think." 

"Yes, well Lawrence was heavily influenced by Freud, and it certainly shows." Edward flipped the book closed, placing it back into its spot on the shelf. "You seem to have a lot of classics," he remarked.

"Yeah, I like reading the classics to get an idea of the raw emotions that the authors were feeling when they wrote it. You learn a lot from them, both historically and personally."

Edward sat next to me on my bed, one foot placed on the floor, but his other leg bent at the knee so he could face me. "You do get a better understanding of what was going on in their heads and in their life," he agreed. "Do you write any?"

I bit my lip. "No, but I've been entertaining the idea of writing a novel. Do you?"

He shook his head. "I'd much rather read, I'm not as creative when it comes to plots I guess. I like writing music instead."

"Music tells its own story anyway. I'd love to hear you play sometime."

His face lit up. "We have a piano at home." 

"Does anyone else play?" 

"Carlisle and Alice can a bit." 

We both had some homework to do, and we settled into a calm silence as we each did our assignments. He finished quickly, a bit too quickly compared to even a smart human's normal pace. Edward decided to break the silence again while I was reading my required text for English.

"What do you want to be, Bella?" He asked. 

I thought for a minute. The obvious would be a librarian or an English teacher. "I'd like to go into archival conservation." I hesitated with returning the question to him, but I did out of curiosity and politeness. "What do you want to do?"

He blinked. "No one's asked me that before."

I was surprised. "Do you have an idea of what you want to do though?"

He was quiet for a moment, I almost thought he wasn't going to answer and debated going back to my book. 

"My mom wanted me to be a pianist. I think I'd like to write music. My father naturally wanted me to go to law school, but--" he made a face. 

"Have you gone to college or anything?" I asked. 

He smiled his half smile. "I have two medicine degrees." 

I flushed, feeling a bit self conscious. Of course for no real logical reason, since I know that he's had to play the role of student many times in his ever expanding youth. 

"Why are you blushing?" He asked confidently. 

I decided to entertain his request of what was actually going on in my mind. "It's just a bit intimidating. I'm not sure I can compete with medical degrees and what else you may have studied in…" 

"You'll go to college eventually, too." He confirmed. "You're very smart, Bella and I'm sure you'll become a bright young woman." 

I frowned, not liking the thought of aging much older than what Edward was. But my heart fluttered a bit that he thought I was intelligent. 

"You really must stop doing this to me," he smiled softly, tucking some of my hair behind my ear. 

"What?" I looked up at him. He seemed as if he would suddenly start to melt into a puddle. 

" Your face tends to say one thing but your pulse and subtle body language say other things. It's very frustrating to not know what you are thinking." 

"Sorry," I said as if it were really my fault that he couldn't read my mind. 

He chuckled at me and waited for me to continue. 

"I'm flattered that you think I'm smart, I really am…" 

"But?" 

" _But_ the thought of getting much older than you...while you stay looking...young, bothers me a little." 

"I wished I looked a little older." It was Edward's turn to frown. "High school is my purgatory, and having to repeat it every time we move is on par with torture." 

I fidgeted and felt my pulse rise. "When...when will I be joining your family?" 

His face filtered through several emotions. Surprise, fear, concern. "You don't have to, no one is forcing you," he was assuming again. 

I furrowed my brow. "No, Edward. Something like this, what we have...just doesn't end. Especially with everything that I know about your world. I'd like to join you in this eternal facade." 

Edward frowned again. "Bella, I feel like a monster around you. The burning in my throat as I inhale your scent...the venom that coats my mouth like drool... I wouldn't wish this horror story on anyone." He sounded sad and sincere. 

"You wouldn't have to turn me." My mind flickered to Carlisle, as he has done to the others, mostly out of dire situations but perhaps he'd make an exception for me. "I don't want to cause you any pain."

Edward scoffed. "Cause me any pain? Bella, sometimes I think you're _too_ empathetic. The change itself feels like you're burning in the depths of hell while you cannot move a muscle. Every second is agony. Then once the transformation is complete? What about your family? Charlie, Reneé, and Phil? You'd stay young and watch them grow old." 

"Me seeing them die would happen anyway. It's a normal experience for children to go through." My voice sounded almost too nonchalant, but I was confident that I would actually be quite sad when it was their time to leave. 

He grumbled. Not happy that I was correct. I could tell that part of him did want to spend eternity with me.

"I'll wait until I'm out of high school," I resolved. I'll be 18, and the most I'm willing to wait until was 25. "I won't bring it back up until then." He seemed happier that I didn't press it. 

We chatted for a bit after that, getting to know each other a bit better. He asked about my favorite things...food, colors, songs, films, and more. A few things such as songs and films he wasn't as up to date on, so I suggested that I'd show them to him sometime. I returned the questions, of course. Edward was classic in every sense of the word. Classic morals, music, films, and books. Some of his tastes I was familiar with, having heard of it in passing but having never consumed such media. I was elated in imagining a date night where Edward and I sat down on a comfy couch and watched movies all night. Being with Edward felt like a natural friendship, even when we differed so much, we were curious about each other's interests. We wanted to understand what made each other tick, and the level of our engagement often made me forget that he was a vampire that had to fight to keep from tearing me to pieces. 

Charlie came home and interrupted our casual conversation. Edward and I filtered downstairs to greet him. 

"Hi dad," I greeted carefully. "How was work?" He almost looked far away, as if his mind hadn't left the police station yet. 

"Hi, honey. Work was ok." He opened the fridge to find a plate of dinner for him to heat up. "Thank you for making dinner."

"Edward came over to study together," I said. 

Charlie's eyes shot up to Edward, who he nodded at. "Did you get a lot done?" 

"Yes, I read all I needed to for English and Edward worked on biology questions for the upcoming test." While the details weren't quite so necessary, it would let Charlie know that we weren't up to the usual teen shenanigans. I'd have to talk with him about just how much of a gentleman Edward is. I winced internally, that's not a conversation I was looking forward to. Edward noticed, and eyed me with concern. I blinked at him, hoping to communicate that I'd tell him later. 

"I think I'm going to head out soon," Edward said, mostly to Charlie. "I'll let you to have some peace and quiet." 

Charlie mumbled a soft goodbye. "Drive safe, Edward." He said. 

Edward moved to hug me softly. He whispered in my ear quickly and soft enough for only me to hear. "Check your email tonight," he said. "I want to know what that was about." 

I only nodded subtly. "Bye, Edward." 

Once Edward drove off and was out of earshot, I turned to Charlie who already had half his meal eaten and was flipping through the channels on the television. 

"Edward is quite the gentleman," I started somewhat awkwardly. 

"Oh?" Charlie asked. He stopped chewing in the middle of his bite. 

I nodded and then sat down on the couch. "Yeah, after homework we simply chatted about our interests. He's pretty traditional, Dad. I don't think you need to worry as much about him." 

He finally continued chewing his bite, mulling over what I was trying to tell him. "It's just hard, Bells. I was a young man, so I know what most think about...he may be a gentleman on the outside, but don't be so eager to let your guard down." 

I nodded quietly. "You know I'm probably going to experience relationship hardships, right? It's a part of dating." 

Charlie chuckled. Of course I was being logical about getting hurt. Everyone goes through it. "Yes, but I still want you to be safe," he paused, "speaking of which…" 

I made a slightly disgusted sound. "Dad…" 

"I know, but if I don't say anything about it, it'll haunt me. Just let me know if you need anything." 

I appreciated his concern, but I took a deep breath. "Edward is the type that is saving himself for marriage." I exhaled. Boy, did this turn awkward fast. 

"Ah." Was all that Charlie said. "Still, just in case." 

I nodded, thinking about how he was right. I probably should take a trip to the pharmacy, if not for myself, to be the "mom friend" to Jessica or Angela. 

I retreated upstairs to my bedroom, confident Edward had already gone home and emailed me. As I pulled up my email, I predicted correctly. I chuckled at his opening, he was still being the polite gentleman he was. It read: 

Dearest Bella, 

I enjoyed spending time with you tonight. I feel as though we have connected, and deepened our understanding of each other. However, whilst you were conversing with Charlie I couldn't help but notice your slight reaction. You've left me curious, so I'm asking if you'd like to share? 

Yours,

Edward 

Seeing that Edward was mine left my heart aflutter. I was smiling like the schoolgirl I was as I hit reply. 

Edward, 

I don't mind sharing my thoughts with you tonight. I had just been thinking about how I was going to let Charlie know about how much of a gentleman you truly are. Wincing at the implication of talking about...physical relations. While the conversations are indeed necessary, talking to one's father about them is less than desirable. 

I'm looking forward to movie night. Your place or mine? 

Yours also, 

Bella 

Edward was impatiently waiting for the email notification to appear on his screen. He was refreshing constantly, waiting to hear that small chime indicating that Bella had written a response. Finally it happened, and the wind was knocked out of him for a millisecond. 

Reading the response, he chuckled. Bella had noticed he was trying to be a gentleman in his courtship. The physical implications of their relationship was indeed something Edward had been trying to avoid, mostly for Bella's health. He desperately wanted to touch her, but for now he was comfortable finding intimacy in other ways, like with tonight and their future movie date. He hit reply. 

Bella, 

How kind of you to think me a gentleman. I would love it if movie night was at your house; my family can be a bit intrusive, as you may understand. How's next Friday sound?

Sleep well, 

Edward. 

————

**I'm planning to rewrite it so that bella asks ed if he's a vampire in the restaurant, instead of in the car and then asks less serious questions about vampirism whilst in the car. So here's the funny car stuff**

Bella sat quietly in her seat as Edward sped down the road in his Volvo.

"What are you thinking," He mused. 

Bella flushed, "I'm not sure you'd wanna know. It's a bit embarrassing. I've got so many questions."

Edward smirked, staring at Bella for a second as he drove. "You may as well get it over with."

"So, you have heightened senses, yeah? Like hearing, strength, smell?"

He nodded, wondering where Bella was going with her question. 

"Don't people...smell bad... to you?"

Edward laughed. "What do you mean?"

Bella wrinkled her nose, "Regular people smell bad. We sweat, and fart, and stink."

Edward didn't stop laughing. "No, humans don't smell bad generally. Our bodies have changed to find the scent of humans appetizing. Unless someone's been smoking or drinking, it's a challenge to resist the smell." He eyed Bella, searching for a fear reaction that never came.

"What do you do...when uh," Bella flushed, and hesitated.

"When?" Edward encouraged. 

"When someone, uh, is menstruating?" Bella wished she could disappear. 

"Oh," Edward said. If he could blush he would. "It actually doesn't affect us as bad. It's got something to do with the fact that menstrual blood is mostly dead and dying cells mixed with flesh." He made a slightly disgusted face. "Flesh doesn't taste that good." 

"So stakes, garlic, crosses, holy water…?"

He chuckled again, "A farce. The only way to destroy us is to rip us to pieces and burn us." Edward glanced at Bella. "Probably shouldn't have told you that."

"The sun?"

"A minor inconvenience, but not for the reason you're likely to think. I'd have to show you to really explain it."

"Right, so how many of you are out there?" 

"Hm, there's about nine groups, maybe a couple hundred out there. The careless creation of a vampire isn't encouraged. We have a form of unwritten laws that must be abided by."

"What happens if you break a law?"

Edwards face grew solemn. "I think I should wait to tell you much more about that subject later. I still have to tell Carlisle that you know about us."

"Is he going to be upset with you?" Bella asked, suddenly concerned about Edward. She didn't want him to suddenly disappear, she wasn't going to tell anyone about their secret. 

"I don't think so. He'll be a bit concerned, but he trusts me and supports me." Edward hoped that he'd be correct on that. Carlisle put his family first, and if his family was endangered, he'd stop at almost nothing to protect them. 

"Do you know who the first vampire was?" 

"No, even our oldest members have no clue about the original vampires."

"So, how is one created?"

"We have a venom," Edward began. "It really acts more like a virus, spreading throughout the system, replacing every fluid in your body with it, rearranging your body to be the perfect predator…If a vampire can stop from sucking a human dry, it only takes one venom filled bite to transform. Not everyone makes it through the process though. Some people think it originated from a curse, others think it's more akin to a disease." 

____ 

**Bella and Rosalie**

Bella was settling into the comfort of the Cullen's companionship. She could consider herself friends with most of them. Only Jasper seemed a bit standoffish, but friendly. Rosalie however was another force to be reckoned with. 

Oftentimes when Bella entered a room where Rosalie was also, the chilling woman immediately left. Bella almost felt as bad as she did when Edward had given her vile looks on her first day at school. Her stomach sank when she noticed what Rosalie was doing. Bella silently planned to confront her next time she found her alone. 

And alone she did find Rosalie. It was on a crisp Saturday afternoon, Bella quietly wandered into an empty room that opened up onto a balcony that overlooked the forest. There was a breeze that startled the flowing curtains, and Rosalie's golden waves. She didn't turn as Bella approached, perhaps lost in thought or for a dramatic effect. Neither of them spoke at first. 

"Why do you avoid me, Rosalie?" Bella never felt fear amongst the Cullens until perhaps now. 

Rosalie smiled, "You must forgive me, Bella." 

Bella thought for a moment. "I would if I knew the reason for which you apologize." 

"I suppose I avoid you because I envy you." 

Bella's brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm not sure I follow. I'm not really the subject of Envy." 

"I envy most humans," Rosalie sighed. "I don't enjoy being the thing I am. When I was human, I had goals and aspirations that were wiped clean once Carlisle decided to turn me. I wanted a child, children even, and a family," she smiled at the thought.

"Yet, you plan your life to be like us, before you even experience the full extent of the human experience. It's hard for me to watch as you walk down this path that I wouldn't have chosen for myself." Rosalie met Bella's eyes now, allowing the raw emotion to pour out of them. 

"The only family I've wanted is you," Bella said quietly. "I've never wished for children, though I do respect others who want them. I'm perfectly happy with Edward, with you all. If I could trade places with you, Rosalie, I would gladly accept." 

"It seems we are each other's source of envy." Her smile was sad. "What were your goals before you met us, Bella?" 

Bella smirked. "Survive two years in Forks." 

They both laughed at that. 

"And long term?" 

Bella sighed. "Go to school for archival preservation, maybe find some sort of partner, try not to blunder through life like I've been doing." 

"Pretty short bucket list," Rosalie raised an eyebrow. 

The small brunette blushed. "I suppose there's more...but a lot are ridiculous." 

"Nonsense," Rosalie interjected. "Tell me…"


End file.
